


Issue #0: Know Thyself

by CasualShadowJR



Series: The Crimson Varlet [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: DC Universe Online - Freeform, Gen, Inspired by..., Superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-03 19:16:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16331888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasualShadowJR/pseuds/CasualShadowJR
Summary: "Know thyself, and you shall know the gods." This one ancient Delphic truth will change a modern woman's life forever.





	1. Promises and Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> First: this was inspired by my DC Universe Online hero, the Crimson Varlet. However, instead of making this a fan-fiction in the DC universe, I decided to create my own universe and expand the Crimson Varlet into more than just one of Wonder Woman's recruits. Aside from that, I wanted to give her a proper backstory, including explanations for her rather disparate power-set of psychokinetic energy, swordsmanship, and archery.
> 
> Secondly: this would not be possible without the ideas and assistance of J A Phillips. He also has an original superhero he writes about, as well as writing some fanfic in the DCU, so go read his stuff and tell him the Grandmistress of Shadow Style sent you. His link is here: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_A_Phillips
> 
> Thirdly: While I don't intend to have any sexual situations or over-the-top violence in this series, there is going to be cursing. And a fair amount of cursing to boot. You'll find out why very shortly.

It was all I could do to not slam the door as I walked into the apartment. This had just been the most infuriating day. The bosses had called me over for a chat, and what a chat it was. They told me the company was undergoing restructuring, and they had to scale back their phone support division. They said they were having to cut back at our site. Only low-performing agents were going to be let go, they said, and they said I was one of them.

You have no idea how desperately I wanted to tell them how full of shit they were.

I monitored my stats every day, and every day, Scarlet Quire was exceeding goals. Customer satisfaction, call time...everything they monitored, I was good at. There were a few people I didn't get along with, but I didn't cause trouble over it. Worst that happened was that I had to call out for a day or two every now and again when my depression or anxiety hit hard, but they already knew that. They weren't just cutting the low performers. My roommate Anna and I paid attention to the company news, and I knew this for what it was: a down-sizing. The company underperformed, the stockholders got pissed, and as always, they took it out on the workforce. After all, God forbid the executives not afford another fucking private jet while they destroy the company.

 I growled to myself and tossed my purse over onto the nearby chair.  My third job since I started working full-time at 20, that I'd held for the last two years...and it was gone, just like that. Sure, I had some promise of severance, but I'd still have to start looking immediately. For tonight, though, I needed to forget all this. I went to change into a t-shirt and sweatpants, with only two things on my mind: a good dinner, and a nice, large glass of wine.

I didn't get to drink much; truth be told, I didn't care for getting drunk anymore. I was 27, and I was working at a job I thought I'd hold for the rest of my life, or at least until I turned 40. Isn't that what a good responsible adult does? Hold onto a semi-decent job and save up until their middle-aged mind suddenly realized their own mortality was creeping up on them? Joke's on society...I'm scared by my own mortality every fucking day. I went off my meds a week ago because they made my depression worse...my therapist's idea, though I'd probably have done it anyway. So yeah...not much inclined to drink often. But my 27th birthday was a couple weeks ago, I still had some red wine left from celebrating with Anna, and I was already pissed. Might as well end up pissed twice over.

Less than an hour later, I had some simple penne and a full glass of red, just as Anna walked in the door. "Hey, blondie, how was your day?" She playfully asked. She always called me blondie, as if my short golden hair were some kind of anomaly. I didn't really have any kind of a counter; you can't make much of a hair joke on someone with brunette hair without sounding horribly racist. Instead, my scowl did the talking for me, as did me gesturing to the glass of wine. "Oh. Oh fuck, I'm sorry, hon." Her mood turned sympathetic in a hurry, and she sat down beside me. "Wanna talk about it, Scarlet?"

I let out a deep sigh. "I'm going to have to look for a new job. Assuming, of course, there's anything left in this damn town I can get. Anna, I hate to admit it, but I was spot on in fearing the worst. They fired a bunch of us, myself included." I sarcastically raised my glass in salute. "Here's to modern capitalism, I guess. The scourge that we can't seem to live without." I took a sip of wine, then set it down on the table. Part of my hair flopped down in front of my eyes; I tucked it behind my ear and over the earpiece of my glasses "Suffice it to say, if I can't find something quickly, you're going to be shouldering the burden of the bills for a while. Sorry about that."

Anna leaned over to give me a big hug. "Hon, don't worry about it. I hated what that place was doing to you anyway, and I am more than capable of taking care of things while you look for a job. I'm confident you'll find something in short order."

"I wish I had your confidence," I groused. "I'm 27, and I was lucky to get  _that_ job." And truth be told, I'd felt trapped there. I have little doubt Anna already knew that though; she'd seen me on my worst mental health days. "This isn't something I can keep doing my entire adult life, either...at some point, I'm going to run out of chances. Especially because I don't have anything remarkable about me. I'm just...Scarlet, barely competent adult."

"You're a pretty good cook," Anna countered. "You can sing a hell of a lot better than me. Maybe you could be a chef? Or an entertainer?"

"I'd still have to make money in the meantime. And everything I can do, with my skills and education, I've already done and got bored with." I picked up my wine glass again, and this time took a deeper swig. "Unless something magical or amazing happens, my talents don't mean shit if I can't make money."

Anna gave me another hug. I don't really like people touching me for the most part, but I've never minded Anna's hugs. Then again, Anna's always backed off if I mention I'm not in the mood for a hug, so I've never had any problems trusting her. And truth be told, I rather like her hugs.

"Scar, promise me something. Just...take tomorrow to do something to destress, okay? Go out for a walk. Hit the gym and work out. Go shopping for a bit. You don't even have to take me with you if you don't want. Just...take one day to rest, okay?" Anna sounded truly concerned about me. I mean, she's always concerned, but this was "Scarlet is unable to get out of bed because of a depressive episode" levels of concern.

"You're right," I admitted. "I rarely get out of the house except for work; might as well do it tomorrow. I just don't know if I have that much faith in myself anymore."

Anna got up. "Well, for what it's worth, I still have faith in ya. Now, where's dinner? Because that penne you got right there looks so good right now!"

I couldn't help myself by laugh at her enthusiasm. "On the stove in the kitchen, Anna. You bet I'd make enough for both of us!"

"You're the best, blondie!" My best friend happily skipped into the kitchen to get her share of the pasta I'd made. I'd yet to get a bite of it myself, so I picked up my plate, gave a little chuckle, then dug my fork in and took a bite.

Maybe Anna was right about my chef potential. I'm a pretty damn good cook.

 

 

* * *

_Know thyself, and thou shalt know the gods._

What?

_Know thyself, Scarlet, and thou shalt know the gods._

The hell are you talking about? What gods?

_There are some in this world that couldst be called gods, due to their immense and varied power. Some watch over the mortal world; others seek to render it a wasteland._

And I'm supposed to know them?

_Not yet. But thou shalt._

When?

_Soon._

How?

_Know thyself._

How?

_One is never done learning about oneself. Thou shouldst know that more deeply than most._

You speak as if learning things about myself is a good thing.

_Verily, it is._

And yet, it always leaves me with more questions than answers.

_"I know that I know nothing," it is said. The path to knowledge begins with the acknowledgment of ignorance._

What kind of fantasy world do you live in where the pursuit of knowledge is considered a good thing?

_A deeper, more varied and vibrant world than the one thou knowest. A world that thou canst know as well, and may yet soon._

And to know this world, all I have to do is...?

_Know thyself. Thy inner strength shalt become outwardly manifested._

You sound like a bad self-help guru.

_Thou doth jest._

You expect me to take this bullshit seriously?

_No. We expect a new god to arise. And we shalt await your apotheosis. Thy path shall we illuminate if thou accepteth our light._

Do I have to accept now?

_No. Know thyself, and thou shalt be ready to answer to our offer. For now...open thine eyes, Scarlet. A new day approacheth._

* * *

 

I very rarely dream. At least, not that I can remember. Whenever I do remember my dreams, they're always really weird. Case in point: the dream I had the night after I was terminated. I saw nothing in it, but I heard a voice speaking to me. The weirdest damn pseudo-philosophical conversation I ever had, too. "Know thyself"? "We shalt await your apotheosis"? What kind of flowery, King James-sounding bullshit is that? But as I slowly woke up that morning, I didn't have much time or will to think about it. After all, I had a promise to fulfill to Anna.

I rolled out of bed and fumbled for my glasses, and as I put them on and my eyes adjusted, I found a text message on my phone. Appropriately enough, it was from Anna. "Made sure you were in bed after you fell asleep on the couch last night. Don't forget, you promised me you'd do something fun today to destress! See you this evening! <3 ya, Blondie!" Ugh, Anna and her saccharine demeanor...I love her, and yet she gets on my nerves sometimes. And yet, there's no one I'd rather live with since I'm too far away from my family. At times like this, when I felt hopeless, her caring made me feel like it'd be okay somehow. She's my best friend, and I don't know what I'd do without her. So of course, I had to fulfill my promise to her. ...Once I woke up more and had breakfast, anyway. Priorities, you know.

I grabbed a pastry and made a cup of coffee, then took my morning meal to the couch, where I'd had dinner the night before. While I ate, I pulled up a map app on my phone. I often went to parks with walking trails, partially for the exercise but mostly for the solitude. And today, I was in dire need of both. Fortunately, there was a very nice one a short bus ride away. I'd rode the bus into the city for work anyway, so simply taking a different route into town didn't really bother me. Besides, it was relatively cheap, and I wasn't much of a shopper kind of girl anyway, so might as well save money where I can while I prepared for my job search. I took note of the closest stop that would get me to the park, then set my phone down to finish eating.

I just wish I'd had some clue what was going to happen to me that day, because hoo boy, was I ever unprepared for the drastic change that was about to take over my life.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bear with me while I write this origin story. There's a fair amount of stuff I'm trying to establish with this, so it may be a slow build. If you like what you're reading so far, please comment and let me know. if you think I need to improve or change something, again, please comment and let me know. And stay tuned...the next chapter is where Scarlet will truly start to become the Crimson Varlet. Well, at least as far as her powers go.


	2. Apotheosis

Fortunately for me, this day was exactly my kind of day. Bright, barely breezy, mid-70s Fahrenheit, and nary a cloud in the sky. So when I arrived, I was actually in a good mood. Maybe Anna had the right idea; this unexpected day off and out was what I needed to steel me for the upcoming quest for new employment.

And a nice, mile-and-a-quarter wooded walking trail next to a large pond awaited me. I haven't had much in the way of exercise since I was a teenager, but this was my idea of fun.

I fired up my smartwatch's exercise app, then started walking into the trees, nothing but birds and ducks to serenade me. I like listening to music, but when it comes to exercising, I prefer relative quietness. Whenever I go for a walk like this, it's usually because I have to take some time to think or to de-stress. Given what had happened to me the day before, both factors were in play for me this time. My therapist had encouraged me do take meditative actions to help me focus and de-stress, and a quiet walk often served as one. This actually explained a lot about my increased stress at my prior job, seeing as how I'd rarely had time to go out for walks. But here, among the trees, with fresh air in my lungs, sun filtering through the leaves, and only the slightest hint of city noise in the background, I was feeling serene for the first time in a while.

In fact, it was odd. It wasn't a very warm day, and I wasn't in direct sunlight, but it felt like there was a halo of warmth surrounding me. It was a feeling I'd felt a few times before while walking or meditating, but it'd never been this prominent before. I stopped, puzzled, and the warmth faded away. I shook the confusion away, then started walking again, focusing once again on my breathing and keeping my gaze locked on the path before me. The warmth surrounded me again, but I tried to put the questions out of my mind and just kept walking, letting the warmth propel me forward.

In retrospect, a bit of a bad decision, as the warmth propelled me forward, all right...straight into a tree at about 60 miles per hour.

"Oof!" My body turned sideways in midair, and I hit the large tree back first, then bounced off, hit the dirt, and rolled to the edge of the track! "Ow, god...son of a bitch, that hurt..." I checked myself out and saw no visible damage on my hands or arms, though there were some expected tears in the knees of my pants. What I was most concerned about was my spine, though; all I felt was a dull ache in the small of my back, but I had no idea if that was because I was paralyzed or simply because I hadn't moved yet. I rolled over to push myself up, only to find that not only was I not paralyzed, apparently the worst I felt was the shock of the impact. "What the fuck..." I'd never been more confused in my life. I'd been thrown some hundred feet into a tree and had been accelerated to highway speed in a fraction of a second in the process; how was I not dead or seriously injured? More importantly, what was that warm energy that'd surrounded me and sent me flying?

I lifted my left arm to check my smartwatch and see if it was okay...and naturally, it was cracked. "Oh, goddammit..." I may have still been confused at my spontaneous headlong flight, but at the sight of my damaged watch, my first-world-problems instincts kicked in, realizing just how much of a hassle (and expense) it'd be to replace my fallen device. "Of fucking course. I survive, but my watch doesn't. Just great," I ranted to myself, before carrying on with my walk.

As I moved along the trail, I took my phone out of my pocket. It was in a protective case, and it was more durable than the watch, so it was okay. More importantly, there was another text message from Anna. "Hey blondie! Did you get out of the apartment?"

I texted her back, "yeah, went for a walk. Out in Midtown Park. Walking the track. Fell down; broke my watch. I'm OK tho."

Anna immediately replied, "Sorry about the watch. You sure you okay? No scrapes? Nothing broke?"

"Surprisingly, no. Probably gonna cut my walk short, though, just in case an injury sneaks up on me."

"Okay! Be careful, Scar! <3 ya!"

"I will! Thanks, ya dork."

As I put my phone away, the mere thought of Anna's concern brought a smile to my face. My happiness had a certain warmth to it...a certain, very familiar warmth. I immediately stopped walking at the feeling, not wanting a repeat performance of my little accident from earlier. I still felt the warmth, though, and my eyes locked onto a leaf that'd fallen onto the trail. I sensed a bit of the warm energy shoot out from me like a slight breeze, and before my eyes, the leaf seemed to jump up off of the ground and fly upward 6 feet before fluttering to the ground. I blinked, unable to believe what I'd seen. Why did that leaf move? Did...did I just move it? Did that energy come from me?

I needed a moment to process all of this. Fortunately, there was a bench nearby that marked the halfway point of the trail. I moved over to the bench, sat down, took my glasses off and rubbed my eyes. I must not have slept as well the night before as I'd thought, because clearly, I was hallucinating. Either that or I was still dreaming. But my eyes locked onto the broken smartwatch on my wrist. If this was a hallucination, how come I flew through the air as I did? If this was a dream, how come I could still feel that slight ache in the small of my back?

_Know thyself, and thou shalt know the gods. ...We await thy apotheosis. ...One is never done learning about oneself._

The voice that I'd heard in the night suddenly flooded back into my memory. Apotheosis..." the elevation of someone or something to divine status". "Making into a god". They await my apotheosis. But I'm no god. I'm just Scarlet, aren't I?

And one is never done learning about themselves. I should know better than most, they said. What are they waiting for me to learn? What could I possibly learn that would somehow gain me respect usually afforded to deities? Unless I won the fucking lottery and became a rich bitch, not likely in this world. The only ones revered as gods in our society are ones with money. ...Unless...

I gently put my glasses back on, then closed my eyes. I folded my hands into my lap and began to meditate, breathing long, deep breaths, focusing on my surroundings. I imagined in my mind's eye everything that surrounded me: the bench on which I sat, the trail in front of me, the trees over me, and the rocks and leaves on the ground near my feet. It was the rocks and leaves in particular that I focused most of all, as I felt that warmth wash over me again. I extended the warmth outward, one tendril at a time, each to a rock or leaf. I pushed each one upward, lifting the small items one by one before they each floated at eye level around me. Maintaining calm breaths, I slowly opened my eyes. I shifted my gaze to each leaf in turn and released them from the embrace of my energy, let them float back to the ground in turn.

Next, I focused on the six rocks that still hung suspended in the air around my head. They ranged in size from a tiny pebble to a small river rock. It was the pebble I focused on first, using the energy that surrounded it to toss it. With the barest nudge, it went flying, embedding itself in the far tree. A second rock, one of the larger rocks, I sent flying off to the right, bouncing off of a far tree and landing on the ground. A third, I gently tossed into the air before letting it fall, and a fourth I just shot straight downward, causing it to be buried in the ground. The remaining two were both of the larger river rock sizes, and I spun them around in the air in front of me, making a vertical circle as they chased each other. I slowed them both down until they met up with each other, then lifted my hands and split them apart from each other, catching one in each hand. Then, with a long exhale, I dispersed the warm energy around me.

I brought my hands down and looked at the two remaining stones I now held. What was going on? Was I telekinetic? Did I now have the ability to fly? Increased durability? Was I some kind of superhuman?

Superhumans...modern mythology. The stuff of stories and comic books. And yet, I had heard stories since moving to this city of people with grand abilities saving the day. People in masks and armor, able to rescue cats and disappear before the fire department can arrive. Bank robbers subdued and tied up, left for the police to collect. According to some of the people I'd talked to who'd lived in the city all their lives, such used to be a common occurrence, but it'd all but vanished years ago.

But superhumans were largely modern mythology. Idols. Gods of the modern age--oh, Christ.

_Know thyself, and thou shalt know the gods. We await thy apotheosis._

Fuck. Me. Sideways. Is this what they meant? I'm some kind of superhuman? This was my apotheosis, my awakening? No, no, no, this cannot be happening to me! I don't want to be a superhuman! I don't want to become some kind of saintly, revered figure for my power! I just...I just want to be Scarlet. I just want to be able to move on and live a normal life!

My eyes widened, and I felt the beginnings of an anxiety attack. My heart rate shot up, and terror exploded in my mind, while my head swirled as if it were in a blender. I quickly got up and started running towards the beginning of the trail, pulling my phone out of my pocket as I ran. I sent a single sentence to Anna, then barely had time to put my phone away before my arms went numb. That single sentence, a coded message we had for each other that signified whenever I felt overwhelmed and needed her to come to pick me up.: "Code A; please hurry." I felt my overwhelmed body topple over...but I never felt it when I hit the ground.

 

 

* * *

I came to as water splashed over my face, seeing a blurry shape that looked like Anna. "Glasses..." I barely managed to speak, as my heart was still running in overdrive.

Anna slipped my glasses back onto my face, and I saw her come into sharper focus. This was the most concerned I'd ever seen her look. "Jesus, blondie, give me a scare. This was a bad one, wasn't it?"

"Yeah..." I pulled myself up into an upright position before leaning on Anna for assistance in getting to my feet. "I...I don't even know what happened. I was walking the trail, thinking about things, and all of a sudden, it hit me hard. I took off running, and I tripped again, and...well, that's where you found me." A lie, to be sure, or at least an omission. I wasn't a good liar, but like I'm going to tell even my best friend what actually happened.

And yet, Anna knew me all too well. "Scar...you're my best friend, and I love you. Please don't lie to me. What really happened?"

Busted by the most perceptive person I knew. At the very least, though, maybe I could delay a bit. "I'll tell you everything. When we're back home. I...I need to rest right now."

She seemed to take that as an acceptable response, if only for the time being. "Once we're home, Scar, we're having a chat. And you're going to tell me everything that happened. And I mean everything."

I simply nodded. "Thanks, Anna."

Anna shrugged. "What are friends for? Now come on, you can rest in the car on the way home."

Despite her sincere assertion, the ride home was not by any means restful. The last vestiges of my anxiety attack continued to plague me, and we'd had to stop once on the way home so that the coffee and pastry I'd had this morning could say hello again. I was still a bit numb as we went up the stairs, but once the door was open, I was able to walk just long enough for me to flop onto the couch. "Ah, fucking hell...I hate anxiety attacks so fucking much," I said, muffled by the couch cushion.

"I'm just glad my boss is understanding about these things and let me leave early," Anna replied as she headed to the fridge. "You know, I could put in a good word for you. You could come work at the newspaper with me!"

I rolled over onto my back. "I'll consider it. Would you grab me a bottle of water, please?"

"Already thought of that." In short order, she'd come over to the couch with two bottles of water in hand. As I sat upright, she handed me one and sat down next to me. "So, Scar...what happened out there?"

 I cracked open my bottle and took a big drink. "You're not going to believe this, but you wanted me to tell the truth, and I can't lie worth shit to you anyway. So here goes." I sighed. "My watch didn't break because I fell on the trail. It broke because I ended up somehow psychokinetically propelling myself into a tree by accident."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah. When I was walking, I was feeling relaxed and happy, and I was focused on walking down the trail. I started feeling this unusual but gentle warmth around me. It wasn't too long after that I ended flying straight into a tree. Back's a little sore, but I got up largely unscathed."

"Okay...but you texted me right after that. That wasn't what caused the panic attack. What else happened?"

"I kept walking after that, and I had managed to refocus myself largely due to your text. I felt that warmth again, and a leaf in my line of sight suddenly popped up into the air in front of me. I thought I was seeing things...so I sat down on a nearby bench and meditated. That warmth surrounded me again, and this time, I was able to focus on multiple leaves and rocks all at once. Even managed to move them around. Anna...I'm superhuman. I'm psionic, apparently. And to be perfectly honest, I don't think I can handle it."

Anna looked at me even more concerned. "You're certain that's what happened? You suddenly developed telekinesis?"

I looked directly at her. "It's either that, or someone's going to insane lengths to gaslight me. And I don't know anyone who hates me that much."

Anna took a sip of her water, then screwed the cap back on and set it on the coffee table. "Show me, blondie."

"Excuse me?"

Anna gestured to the bottle. "I wanna see your psychokinesis in action. C'mon, don't hold it back from your best friend!" She was doing a very annoying thing she tended to do, where she acted really cute and interested just long enough to get me to do something I had no interest in doing. And I fell for it every single time because sometimes, I just cannot resist such an imposition from Anna. I knew she knew this, and she kept doing it precisely because she knew she could get away with it.

And this time was no exception. "Okay," I acquiesced. "Just...bear with me. I'm still shaken up, and I'm pretty sure that whatever this is, it requires perfect focus."

"Take all the time you need, Scar." God damn that charm of hers.

I closed my eyes. My heart was still running fast, though not as fast as before. This might be manageable if I can find the right rhythm. I started taking slow, deep, deliberate breaths. In, out. In, out. I imagined the living room around me, sans Anna, whom I knew would probably be a distraction at this moment. Nothing there but me, the couch on which I sat, the table before me, and the water bottle atop it. I felt the warmth wash over me, and I zeroed in on the water bottle. Tendrils of energy shot out and wrapped themselves around the bottle like an extension of my arm. It was heavier than the combined weight of the leaves and rocks from before, but slowly, I was able to lift it up off of the table. I opened my eyes, and I saw it floating at Anna's eye level.

"Oh my god," I heard her whisper. She didn't sound scared, though...it was pure awe and amazement. She reached out and grabbed the water out of mid-air. "Scar...this is incredible. You're incredible!"

I dissipated the energy with a sigh. "I'm not so certain about this, Anna. I don't know why I have this power, I don't know why it's showing up now, and I don't know what I can do with it. Or even if I want to. I have a hard enough time living a normal life without being able to float things around or throwing myself into a nearby building while I'm trying to walk."

"Well, maybe I might be able to help you figure things out."

"Help me figure out how to move things with my mind?"

"Girl, I've helped you do your taxes. This could not possibly be more complex than that," she joked.

"Oh haha, Anna." I smiled despite myself. "In all seriousness, how the hell am I going to get a handle on this? It's not like I'm going to get an invitation to some secret superhero organization in the mail or something."

Anna gave me a big hug. "You never know. And even if you don't, we'll work together. After all, we know you have to focus to use this power, so we've got something to start from." She broke away and headed toward the door. "I'm gonna go check the mail, blondie. Stay here and drink up; you need to rehydrate."

"Right, right." I playfully shooed her off and took another sip of my water. She was right; I needed this water, especially after the after-effects of that panic attack. I waited patiently while I drained my water bottle dry. Between the re-hydration and Anna's intervention, I was feeling much better now. Not about my sudden development of superpowers, mind you. More about being home and having a good friend beside me to help me deal with one of the worst panic attacks of my life. It wasn't the first time I'd had a really bad anxiety attack (thus the code phrase between Anna and me), but undoubtedly among the worst, and Anna was on her game. It's no exaggeration to say that she has saved my life on multiple occasions. Some days, I don't know what I'd do without her.

As if right on cue with my thoughts, Anna returned with mail in hand. She flipped one envelope over to me immediately. "Most of this is the usual junk or bills, but this looked really important, and it's addressed to you. Know anyone from that company?"

I took a look at the envelope she'd tossed over. It was custom stationery, with a logo that looked like an owl. I read the company name that sent it..."Temet Nosce? Whoever they are, their name's in Latin, so they must be as pretentious as fuck."

"Maybe, but if they're offering you a job, it might be something worth looking into, now wouldn't it, Scar?"

"Yeah, I suppose..." I turned the envelope around and slowly started opening the envelope. Once I had it open, I pulled out the stationery inside, headed with the same logo from the envelope. The letter inside read as follows:

_Dear Ms. Quire:_

_Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life! ...Clichés aside, no doubt you have already awakened your innate power at this point. It is equally assured that you have many questions and doubts in the wake of this awakening. We will explain more in person, but to make a long story short, you are a superhuman. Your abilities have great potential to do good for this city and for the world, but depending on the choices you make, it can also be used to wreak havoc. What we are offering is guidance. We can help you hone and sharpen your abilities. It's our hope that you will use these powers to become a hero. We believe that knowledge and self-discovery lead to a better world. Know thyself, and thou shalt know the gods. From this ancient saying comes our name, Temet Nosce._

_If you are concerned about compensation for your time and effort, we are equipped to pay you and pay you well. You will find our salary to be more than fair, certainly in comparison to any previous jobs you have had. There will also be no pressure to meet metrics or perform at a specific pace; this is about your development and abilities, not about shareholders or the egos of rich executives. If you accept this offer of training and assistance, bring this letter with you to the address on the envelope this coming Monday. Do not feel like you have to dress in any specific manner; dress in what you feel most comfortable._

_We hope to see you this Monday! In the meantime, be careful with your new powers._

_Best regards,_

_Lady Cognotia, Head of Recruitment, Temet Nosce_

"Huh, you were right, Anna...it is a job offer. Or rather, a development deal for my powers. ...No idea how they knew I had powers or how they knew to send it today, but I can always ask if I decide to go there on Monday."

"If you decide to go Monday?" Anna asked. "As suspicious as the timing is, this sounds too good to pass up! If nothing else, you'll be able to learn better control."

"Just...really unnerved about all of this," I admitted."I had a dream last night...a dream that kinda foretold this whole thing. 'Know thyself, and thou shalt know the gods.' 'We await thy apotheosis.' That kind of shit."

"Well, if nothing else, go there Monday and find out what this is all about." Anna gently patted my head as she walked by. "This could be the opportunity of a lifetime, blondie!"

I chuckled out loud. "Will you ever lose that optimism, Anna?"

Anna winked at me. "Well, one of us has to be an optimist, hon. And you know I've got your back if something goes wrong."

"You freaking dork!" I playfully threw a couch pillow at her, and she knocked it down without an issue. "I honestly don't know what to do with you, and I don't know what I'd do without you."

She walked back over to me, and I saw a level of kindness in her eyes even far above what I was used to seeing from her. "What else are friends for but you help each other in times of need?" She gave me a quick hug. "I'll help you out over the weekend, and then you go see them on Monday. Deal?"

Truth be told, I was likely to go even if Anna hadn't suggested it, but having someone I trust back up that notion certainly made it an easier decision. "Absolutely."

"Good." She broke the hug, then stepped away and pulled out her phone. "Now don't worry about dinner tonight, blondie. I'll order out, so you don't have to further stress yourself today."

I have to admit, I admire and am grateful for her thoughtfulness; I was especially grateful that day. It was going to be a long weekend, and I was nervous about Monday. But a part of me also looked forward to the possibilities that Temet Nosce might have for me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question of the chapter: what do you think about the dynamic between Scarlet and Anna? Leave a comment, or hit me up on Twitter @ casualshadowjr.


	3. A Job Like No Other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my first experiences with comic-style superheroes was in the early 90s, with shows like X-Men and Spider-man. While I tend to like more aspirational heroes, I do have a deep appreciation for the relatable heroes of the Marvel Universe. And a major reason for that is because of the heroes created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko.
> 
> Most of the characters I've created (at least the ones I've created in my adult life) have been characters of the latter type. Modern-day demi-gods with their own hang-ups and Achilles heels. Good in heart, occasionally weak in mind and spirit. And it is in this vein that I have tried to write this story as well. Scarlet may be psychokinetic, but she suffers from the same kind of anxiety and societal pressures that I do. And yet, it is my hope that she will reflect the same kind of ideology that those fallen legends embued into their heroes, along with teaching lessons of my own....lessons that yes, I myself need to learn.
> 
> I've struggled with this chapter in particular, because from this point on, Scarlet will be on the road to becoming the Crimson Varlet. But I have continued to strive to write this story because of all things, this story is one I want to tell. This is the kind of person I want to be. Maybe I'll never be as revered as the aforementioned legends, or as famous as Stan Lee was...but if I can add something to this world that inspires someone? I will feel like a superhero myself. Regardless of whether they are aspirational heroes or relatable heroes, that's what superheroes are: modern-day myths designed to explain, to incite thought and to inspire.
> 
> It is no accident, then, that one of that one of my favorite stories of Spider-man is in the "Sins of the Fathers" arc, where Spidey is recommended by Madam Web that he come face to face with the inner struggles that hold him back. Likewise, everyone has their own battles to fight with themselves...and we can all come out of it better than we were. These are the lessons we learn from superheroes, and I hope to teach such lessons of my own.

It had been a long weekend, and a lot of it was spent trying to ascertain the smallest limits of my psychokinesis. Truth be told, I wasn't getting very far. Simple telekinesis was the most I could muster safely; I'd attempted to replicate the psychokinetic propulsion I'd experienced, in hopes that I could figure out how to fly, but the only thing I managed to discover was just how much of a beating I could take. Fortunately, it seems like I was also gifted with enhanced durability, as I'd managed to come out of it with scratches at worst. Still, I was frustrated at the lack of independent progress; I'd hoped to have something more to present when I started at Temet Nosce than just a parlor trick.

Still, I arrived at the building at least more optimistic than I had been at the close of the previous week. At the bare minimum, even if not much came out of this, this was going to be a paying job. And if I came out of this having a better handle of these powers I'd developed? I might not embarrass myself in normal life, at least.

I had to admit some confusion, though. The address I'd been given was for an art museum I'd been to before. By all accounts, it was a simple museum of classical art. Plenty of nice exhibits...and yet, for these purposes, it seemed a little too on the those. The Latin name, the ancient saying of Delphic philosophers...and a classical art museum as a base of operations. I mean, what, was I going to have a cover story of working in the gift shop? That's about all I'd be qualified for here.

I was also wondering how in the world they were going to pay me. This was the first museum in the city to have no admission fee; in fact, it'd never had one. Best I could figure was that this museum had a lot of rich donors, and their donors' wall did nothing to dissuade that belief. Some of the richest families in town had their names listed...but at the very top was the foundation that bore the name of the organization I'd be working for: the Temet Nosce Foundation. As I looked at the wall this time, it bothered me that I hadn't made that connection until this exact moment. Clearly, if I was going to be a superhero, it was not going to be of the "great detective" type.

"Philanthropy is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" The sudden contralto voice beside me startled me. I looked to my right and noticed a short, regal-looking woman with long silver hair beside me. "The richest families sharing a fraction of their fortunes with a free museum in a grand display of benevolence. A few thousand here, a hundred thousand there. All while they sit on millions of dollars worth of resources and assets. If they lived more simply, they could do so much more, but instead, they're more interested in a name on the wall." She gestured to the wall of donors.

"Funny. I wouldn't take someone of your bearing for a socialist," I responded. "Lady Cognotia, I presume?"

"Scarlet Samantha Quire, I take it." She turned to me. "Pleasure to meet you. And for the record, the concepts of true charity and aiding others have been around far longer than either Karl Marx or the use of the term 'socialism' as a pejorative." She extended her hand to me. "But I assume you already know that."

I took her hand and shook it, awkwardly. "So, what am I going to be doing here? Custodian? Gift shop attendant?"

"Hardly, we already have people employed in those lines of work. Your job will be considerably more specialized. Follow me, please." She led me into a back room just off of one of the exhibits, a series of artifacts themed around the Greek goddess of wisdom Athena. "Ahh, Athena. Goddess of wisdom and war, among other things. Hell of a temper, though. Not the goddess you'd want to piss off."

"Isn't that true of most of the Greek gods? Or the gods of most mythologies really?"

"The gods of various mythologies have had their dark sides, but for the most part and at their core, gods are either meant to be models for humanity. They are either reflections of human nature, or they are aspirational beings of great power and benevolence." She stopped in front of a freight elevator hidden far in the back. "The same could be said for super-powered beings like yourself, really. Or at least, that's what we hope for."

I pointed to the freight elevator. "Bit out of place, isn't it? Isn't this museum only one floor."

Lady Cognotia just gave a knowing smile. "The  _museum_ is. But the world is larger than you think it is, Ms. Quire. And so is our complex." She pushed a wrapped painting aside, revealing a biometric scanner. She pressed a button, then placed her hand on the scan as it read her information. A green light flashed on, and the freight elevator slid open. "Besides, we can't exactly do combat training amongst all these priceless pieces of art."

"Wait, combat training?" I didn't have much time to process as Lady Cognotia gently nudged me into the elevator. "Did you say combat training?" I moved into the corner and leaned against the wall. "Why in the world am I going to be doing combat training?"

"A bit of self-defense practice never hurt anyone." Her serious-yet-jovial tone may have been intended to calm me down, but it unsettled me further. "And the mental discipline of martial arts will help focus your mind." She hit the B1 button on the elevator's console, then leaned toward me as the elevator started to descend. "But you already know that, don't you?"

I was taken aback. I mean, yeah, I'd had some martial arts when I was a teenager. But...

"How did I know that?" Cognotia tapped her temple. "Knowledge is a superpower itself."

"I get the strangest feeling I'm not going to get much in the way of answers from you."

She laughed. "Come now, Ms. Quire. You're an adult. We're not going to be treating you like a child here. We will give you precisely as much information as you need; we trust you are intelligent enough to put the pieces together."

The elevator screeched to a halt...and I mean literally screeched. It was ear-piercing and loud, and as soon as I heard it, I slumped to the floor. My eyes shot wide open and I instinctively grabbed my ears. "OH GOD FUCKING SHIT WHAT WAS THAT!" I exclaimed. Misophonia...an aversion to sound, and one of my panic attack triggers. I'd had it since I was a kid; what started as crying over popping balloons had in time grown into full-on anxiety at loud, high-pitched or percussive noises.

"Oh, shit..." Cognotia quickly came over to me as the door opened. "My apologies. I'll make sure we get that fixed. You're misophonic, correct?" In my current state, I was only able to nod in response. "Do you need help standing?" I shook my head, then slowly pulled myself to my feet. "It's going to be okay, Ms. Quire." Her voice was soft, calming...it helped the misophonia abate. "This is something we have already planned to work around in your training."

"And you expect me...to be a superhero...when something like that immobilizes me?" I was still shaken up, and while I was coming down from the panic, I was still worried.

She led me out into a very high-tech-looking room.  "It's more accurate to say that we trust your strength to be able to help people despite it." She walked over to someone behind a desk. "Would you ask the maintenance crew to take a look at the elevator shaft? That brake's got a terrible squeaking. Today if possible."

"Yes, Lady." The attendant immediately got on the phone.

Lady Cognotia turned back toward me. "Tell you what: we'll take things easy today and just focus on reacquainting you with the basics of your powers. We'll start properly tomorrow."

"And here I thought you weren't going to treat me like a child," I responded, regaining some of my ability to joke.

Cognotia clearly seemed pleased at my ability to rebound. "Even us adults have to take it easy sometimes. And as I am sure you're aware from previous jobs, it is never good form to overburden a new hire from Day 1. Not if you want to keep them." She gestured to a nearby door. "Now, if you'll follow me...we'll get started. Welcome to Temet Nosce, Ms. Quire...consider this the beginning of your squireship."


End file.
